Hearing Loss Tied to Age, Gender, Race; Not HIVNeither HIV infection nor its treatment appears to be associated with hearing loss, according to data from two large U.S. cohort studies reported Tuesday, July 19, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome. According to the presenting researchers, the only factors that contributed to hearing loss among people living with HIV were gender, age and race.

July 25, 2011

Norvir-Boosted Reyataz Comparable in HIV-Positive Women Versus MenAntiretroviral (ARV) drug regimens containing Norvir (ritonavir)-boosted Reyataz (atazanavir) appear to work just as well for women, compared with men, in the “real world,” according to an analysis of three databases reported Monday, July 18, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

July 22, 2011

PrEP in iPrEx: 92% Fewer Infections in Those With Detectable Drug LevelsTruvada (tenofovir plus emtricitabine) reduced new infections among men who have sex with men and transgender women by more than 90 percent—if there was lab test evidence of them having actually taken the drug—according to final data from the iPrEx study reported at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

July 21, 2011

Five-Year Follow-Up: Isentress Comparable to SustivaMerck’s integrase inhibitor Isentress (raltegravir) works just as well as mainstay therapy efavirenz (found in Sustiva and Atripla) in HIV-positive individuals starting treatment for the first time, according to final five-year follow-up results from a Phase II clinical trial. These encouraging results were reported Wednesday, July 20, by Eduardo Gotuzzo, MD, of the Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, and his colleagues at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

Selzentry Reduces Liver Stiffness in HIV/HCV-Coinfected PatientsJust as people coinfected with HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) dually benefit from taking the antiretroviral Truvada (tenofovir plus emtricitabine), could people coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) benefit from Selzentry (maraviroc)? Possibly, according to an important new study reported Wednesday, July 20, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

Edurant and Sustiva Similar, With Some Failure and Safety Differences, in Two-Year StudiesThe efficacy of Janssen Therapeutics’ Edurant (rilpivirine) is similar to that of Sustiva (efavirenz) over two years of treatment, according to an analysis of two large clinical trials, but Edurant demonstrated much fewer central nervous system side effects, according to a presentation Tuesday, July 19, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

New Jersey: Emergency Room HIV Testing WorksTesting people for HIV during visits to hospital emergency departments in New Jersey has yielded the highest percentage of diagnoses of the infection among all publicly funded counseling and testing sites in the state, a finding that underscores the value of routine testing for the virus in trauma centers. The results, which help validate universal testing initiatives targeting hospital emergency departments, were reported Monday, July 18, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

Hormone-Based Birth Control Raises HIV RiskA new study shows that HIV-positive women are twice as likely to transmit the virus to a sexual partner if they use hormone-based birth control, The New York Times reports.

VIRxSYS Vaccine 'Functionally' Cures Two Monkeys in Recent StudyEncouraging preliminary results involving a vaccine being developed by Maryland-based VIRxSYS Corporation were presented Monday, July 18, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome. Two of five monkeys given the vaccine and then exposed to a primate version of HIV show early signs of being functionally cured, based on blood measurements of viral load, along with measurements of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in blood and tissue cells.

July 20, 2011

HIV Treatment Works in Female Genital TractGenital secretions from women living with HIV using antiretroviral (ARV) therapy contain high drug concentrations and low amounts of infectious virus, according to an important new study conducted by Anandi Sheth, MD, and her colleagues at the Emory Center for AIDS Research in Atlanta.

Brain-Penetrating ARVs Don't Improve HIV Neuro Problems, Says Ontario StudyDrugs known to penetrate the central nervous system do not appear to offer much in the way of additional protection against neuropsychological (NP) problems associated with HIV infection, according to a new Canadian study reported Monday, July 18, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

Rome Mayor Urges Italy to Keep Global Fund CommitmentGiovanni Alemanno, the mayor of Rome, has published an open letter to Silvio Berlusconi, the prime minister of Italy, urging the country to allocate promised funds to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Elvitegravir Proving Comparable to Isentress in HIV Treatment VeteransGilead’s experimental once-daily integrase inhibitor (INI) elvitegravir works as well as Merck’s approved INI Isentress (raltegravir) in treatment-experienced patients, when both drugs are combined with a Norvir (ritonavir)boosted protease inhibitor and a third antiretroviral (ARV), according to a presentation on Wednesday, July 20, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome

July 19, 2011

PrEP Cuts Sexual HIV Transmissions 62% to 78% in Men and WomenViread (tenofovir) and Truvada (tenofovir plus emtricitabine), when used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) “definitively” reduced the risk of contracting HIV, by 62 and 73 percent respectively, among mixed-status heterosexual couples, according to official preliminary results from the Partners PrEP study reported on Monday, July 18, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

HIV Integrase Inhibitor Dolutegravir Showing Well in First-Time Treatment TakersViiV Healthcare’s experimental integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (S/GSK-572), using the highest dose studied in the SPRING-1 clinical trial, was at least as effective as efavirenz (found in Sustiva and Atripla) in controlling HIV levels with fewer side effects over 48 weeks. These data from the study involving first-time HIV treatment takers were presented Tuesday, July 19, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

Early Treatment Reduces Serious Illnesses by 40% in HPTN 052Starting antiretroviral (ARV) therapy once a CD4 count falls below 550 was associated with a 40 percent reduction in the risk of serious illness, but not deaths, in HPTN 052, according to researchers summarizing the second set of major findings from the study at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

IAS Organizers: HIV Science Breakthroughs Only Half the Battle
Organizers of the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2011) kicked off this year’s gathering in Rome by applauding the significant breakthroughs in treatment and prevention science over the past two years, but warned that research discoveries only matter if they can effectively be rolled out evenly throughout the world.

Traditional Risk Factors Greatest Risk for Bone FracturesThough there has been a significant increase in osteoporotic bone fracture rates in the years since combination antiretroviral (ARV) therapy became commonplace in countries like the United States, the drugs themselves do not appear to be chief culprits, according to new Veterans Administration data presented Monday, July 18, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

Survival Benefit Among HIV-Positive Liver, Kidney Transplant RecipientsSurvival is “excellent” among people living with HIV undergoing kidney transplants, according to a new analysis presented by researchers associated with the Solid Organ Transplantation in HIV Study at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention on Monday, July 18, in Rome. The study authors also note a clear survival advantage among people living with HIV undergoing liver transplants, particularly among those who are gravely ill with high Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores.

HIV Treatment as Prevention: 96% Reduction of Sexual Transmission in HPTN 052 StudyA large clinical trial conducted by the international HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) confirms that treating HIV-positive people with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to HIV-negative sexual partners by 96 percent—at least among heterosexual couples—according to data from the study reported Monday, July 18, at the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.